As a small business owner, you know that your success depends on having an online store that is functional and professional. Unfortunately, many issues can occur when running your Shopify store that can make your enterprise unprofitable and downright discouraging. Here are the top three complaints of Shopify store owners and how you can avoid having the same problems.
1. Product Returns
Product returns hurt your profit margin and take up a lot of your precious time. Customers can return items for many reasons such as defects, size mismatch, or general dissatisfaction. While it can be tempting to have a strict no-returns policy, this will harm your retailer rating and customer satisfaction levels. It is best to offer a fast and easy returns process that keeps the customer happy. Consider offering a full refund if the customer is unhappy or a return shipping label if the item is defective.
The best way to avoid product returns is to provide clear and detailed descriptions of your products. This includes providing product photos from various angles and accurate sizing or technical information. You should also include a thorough description of your product’s features and any flaws (however minor) that customers should be aware of. All of this information can take a while to prepare but will help to avoid confusion and manage the expectations of your customers.
Another reason that retailers get returns is because of problems with shipping. Be sure to provide your customers with accurate and detailed tracking information. If your package does not arrive on time for whatever reason, you should offer a solution to your customer as soon as possible. You should also integrate Shopify shipping address validation into your checkout process to ensure that your customers did not inadvertently provide an erroneous address that will result in a failed delivery.
2. Shipping and Delivery Issues
Shipping costs can be a huge barrier to closing sales. Lowering your shipping costs can have a positive impact on your conversion rates and sales numbers. Shopify allows you to set shipping rates based on factors like item weight, volume, and delivery location. You can also calculate shipping costs using the built-in rate tables. This can be a big help for store owners who are new to selling online and can help you to avoid charging your customers excessive shipping fees.
One clever way to make your shipping costs ‘disappear’ is to raise the prices of your items to cover their shipping costs. This will allow you to offer free shipping which appeals to customers who do not want to deal with extra charges. Although your items will be slightly more expensive, this tactic has been shown to increase the average order value of your store. Another option is to offer a Free Shipping Day once a month where customers can enjoy free delivery on all their orders.
Delivery that takes too long is also a turn-off for customers. To ensure fast deliveries and avoid complaints, it is best to use reliable courier services that will provide accurate tracking and on-time delivery. Some carriers offer incentives such as a free upgrade to next-day delivery for orders of over $100 to help you reduce your costs and increase customer satisfaction. If you have the budget, you can consider hiring a fulfillment center that will store your products and deliver them directly to your customer.
3. Abandoned Shopping Carts
According to research, 69.57% of all online shopping carts are abandoned—that means that seven out of ten of your potential sales may be lost. These abandoned carts can have a major negative impact on your sales numbers and your bottom line. Through Shopify, you can review your abandoned checkouts and automatically email a link to your customer reminding them about their pending purchase. But you should figure out why customers are abandoning their carts in the first place.
Statistics show that 26% of people abandon their carts because the checkout process is too long and complicated. One way to fix this is to create a ‘one-page checkout’ to reduce the number of steps required to complete an order. You can also integrate your checkout process with a payment solution such as PayPal that has their information already stored. This can make it much easier for customers to complete the checkout process because they have less information to enter.
The need to create accounts is another cause of customers abandoning their carts. With personal details and passwords to configure, account creation is a huge source of purchasing friction. Allow your customers to check out as a guest instead. You can incentivize them to register an account after their purchase. If customer accounts are an essential part of your marketing strategy, provide a more convenient way for customers to sign in such as a Google or Facebook social login option.
Ultimately, customer experience and satisfaction are key to the success of your Shopify store. By providing them with clear and detailed information about your products, you can prevent misunderstandings. Then, maximize the ease of the purchasing process by improving your delivery and shipping options and eliminating any checkout friction. Be sure to respond to any customer messages quickly and efficiently. With persistence and a little luck, your Shopify store will be turning a lively profit in no time.